School Day
Arrangements for the beginning and end of the school day:
School times are as follows:
Nursery 8:45am – 11:45 am
Reception Class and Year 1 -6 8:45 am – 3:15 pm
Long Furlong Primary School is open to pupils in Years Reception to 6 for a total of 32.5 hours each week (including registration, breaks and lunchtimes).
The nursery class is open for 15 hours each week.
Security
In the interest of the safety of pupils and staff, access is restricted to the front door except for brief periods at the beginning and end of the day. This door is always locked and visitors have to ring for attention. When bringing or collecting children from school, all parents and carers should use the side entrance accessed from the footpath. Visitors to school are requested to wear a badge that identifies them to children and staff. All staff wear identity badges.
Beginning of the Day
Unless other arrangements have been made (e.g. attending Badger Club, helping a staff member) pupils should not arrive until 8.45 am when the school gate is opened. Pupils should make their way directly to their classroom on arrival, where they will have quiet tasks to do until the register is taken at 8:55. The side gate will be locked at 8:55am. After that time, the only access to the school is through the front door. All latecomers must enter by the front door and report to the school office.
The End of the Day
Pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will be dismissed to a parent/carer or responsible adult. If another adult is collecting your child you must inform your child’s class teacher in advance.
Junior pupils will be dismissed as a class and expected to return to the class teacher if their parent or responsible adult has not arrived to collect them.
If you drive to school please take great care in the school car park and in the vicinity of the school entrance.
Keeping Contact with the School
The school office is open from 8.30 pm to 4:30 pm (4:00pm on Fridays). The Headteacher is often available at the beginning and end of the school day, and appointments can always be made via the school office.
The school website is an important means of maintaining contact with parents. It is regularly updated and as well as sharing general information about the school, each class has its own area for sharing news of what they have been doing.
We send home a weekly newsletter to all families sent via email and also available on the website. We make very effective use of email, which enables us to ensure that the majority of communications from school are emailed directly to parents or guardians and thereby not left at the bottom of children’s book bags! In the case of emergencies, e.g. for snow closures, we also contact all registered parents with a text message.
How can I help my child do well at school?
We offer the following three recommendations to you all:
* establish a positive relationship with the school and in particular the class teacher. Developing and maintaining this relationship is very important to us. Do please contact the Headteacher if you are concerned about this.
* help with homework. Getting this right is not an easy task for many families, so please speak to your child’s teacher if you have any concerns
* contact us if you have concerns or questions about your child’s progress. Please remember if you do have concerns you should initially discuss this with your child’s class teacher.
Teachers are usually available for an informal discussion at the end of the day. You can also make an appointment to see your child’s teacher for a more formal meeting.
Reporting to Parents/Carers
There are three official periods when we report to parents/carers. In October we hold an open afternoon and March we hold interviews with class teachers by appointment. In July we send a written report on your child’s progress and achievements. This may be followed by a meeting with the teacher (on request).
Please remember that you can always make an appointment to see your child’s teacher if you have any concerns, or email him or her; there’s no need to wait for the next parents’ evening.
Helping in the Nursery or the School
We always welcome parental help in school, especially on a regular basis. We ask that you wait for a few weeks before working in your child’s own class to give them the opportunity to settle and establish themselves; please make arrangements with the individual class teachers. If helping in school on a regular basis we will ask you to undertake a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check as part of our safeguarding responsibilities.
Charging for School Activities
We value educational visits as they complement and enhance the work in the classroom. All contributions are voluntary but if insufficient contributions are forthcoming, we may be unable to provide the activity. If your child is in receipt of free school dinners and you have any financial difficulties that mean that you are unable to pay the full contribution please contact the school office as we may be able to assist. Please read our Charging & Remissions Policy for further information.
Illness, Accidents and Medical Conditions
Minor injuries will be dealt with at school. In the event of a bumped head and injuries which require first aid, we will always advise you of this in writing. Should your child be taken ill or have a more serious accident we will always contact you, so please ensure that your contact numbers registered with school are kept up to date. Please note that unfortunately, we do not have the staff or facilities to look after sick children for long periods of time.
Medication can ONLY be administered at school if it has been prescribed, and has the pharmacy label attached; you will be asked to complete a detailed permission form prior to any medicines being given.
If your child has a medical condition, we are able to seek advice from the school nurse on how this can be best managed in the school environment. Please advise staff of any ongoing medical condition your child may have.
If your child has suffered from sickness or diarrhoea, the recommendation from the UK Health Security Agency is that he or she should not return to school until 48 hours have passed since the last episode of illness; this will help to prevent the spread of infection.
We would encourage you to book medical appointments for your child out of school hours, wherever possible.
Attendance
Our Attendance policy outlines our aim to encourage regular attendance at school for all pupils, and how we will endeavour to do this. We are required to ensure that all lateness and absences are reported in class registers and published in our annual attendance figures.
Please make sure that your child arrives at school on time; it is disruptive to the class when a child arrives late. Moreover, the latecomer is usually embarrassed, and has made a poor start to the school day. Please inform the school office before 9:30 a.m. if your child is unable to attend school for any reason.
The Headteacher is unable to authorise holiday absence in term time. If you need to take your child out of school, please complete a “Notification of Absence” form (available from the school office).
Bicycles/Scooters
We encourage as many children as possible to walk or cycle to school. Children may ride their bicycles/scooters to school at your discretion; however they must be pushed within the school grounds. We strongly advise your child to wear a helmet when riding to school and the bike should be locked during the day.
Lost Property
Please label all items of clothing with your child’s name as it makes it easier to reunite with their owner. In the first instance, you/your child should thoroughly check his/her classroom and cloakroom for any lost property. There are also lost property drawers which can be found in the school foyer in a cabinet. You are welcome to look through this at any time.
School Values
In school we promote a set of values which we believe enable children to become effective learners and responsible citizens. We have identified the following list as our top priorities:
- Responsibility
- Courage
- Resilience
- Compassion
- Respect
The staff promote these values by modelling them at all times, through assemblies, through curriculum teaching, e.g. PHSE, and by implementing the school’s Behaviour Policy